Good morning...this is making me think about different times, different circumstances. Imagine a battlefield - the sort of historic battle such as WW1. The men going 'over the top'. Some, as battle fodder will die. Does that not matter to each and every one? Yes, it is true that at some time these young men were going to die. Some managed to get out of this ghastly scenario. The father of my ex mother in law was one, shot in the neck in the Battle of the Somme. There is a story about how he was repatricated to the UK and nursed back to health. (He later married the nurse). It is said that the young men dying as they went over the top called for their mothers. Imagine the cacophony.
But if he hadn't managed to be repatriated back to England, and nursed back to health, a whole line of successors would never have come to be born. Yes, he died in the end, but whether sooner or later does make a difference. For those young men life and their deaths was something they could not control. There was limited illusion of 'choice'. To be given the white feather of a conscientious objector was to be contemptible, to be shamed. So we can do more than accept that one day we will die, which is true, but it's how we choose to spend the days in between.
I don't know if Boethius was a Stoic, but today's' post and meditation reminded me of his: 'Eternity is when the present doesn't lack anything.' (my translation from Spanish so that may be wrong!) Really enjoying the series KK, thank you for this ❤️
Oh, thank you for bringing in Boethius! I love this. I think I have felt this as I get better with being in the present, especially on walks with Henri. Time becomes complete in a way - or, yes - infinite. There truly is nothing lacking in that moment of presence. Jayne, I'm so pleased you've joined in and that you are enjoying this! 💙
Thank you, KK! Being with animals is such a tonic, you are right, they are so in the moment. They aren't, like us, a ‘death-obsessed animal’ - think that was John Grey's description of us lot 🙂
today’s meditation has led me to reflect on decomposition in my garden - remnants of my once vibrant Daffodils planted last winter. They bloomed heroically this spring, but now they’re gone. Dead. They won’t return until next spring...if it’s meant to be. It struck me how fleeting life is, just like those first blossoms.
But now, in their place, my first Marigold and some wildflowers are blooming...bringing life and beauty. I know they too will die down, and others will follow...it’s the cycle of life.
This thought brought me to love… life… joy - the meaning of life, and the importance of self-preservation. Knowing where and when to set boundaries means understanding where I end and the other begins, protecting my humanity while honoring others.
In a world fixated on the external -stress, burnout, division, and competition - we need more inward-growing love… starting with ourselves. After all, we all have a deadline… like Harry Styles sings, “Just stop your crying, it’s a sign of the times.” There is no escaping from this cycling… only acceptance. Sooner or later, death gets us all... it makes really no difference.
Good morning, DD! Yes, love where you end your meditation today: "There is no escaping from this cycling… only acceptance. Sooner or later, death gets us all... it makes really no difference." Yes. 💙
Overtaken by life this morning, but determined not to miss a day, I come to the meditation in the evening - better than not at all!
A bunch of purple tulips brought by a friend three weeks ago still stands on my kitchen windowsill. The flowers are withered, some petals have fallen and the talks are mostly dried out and bent. I wonder why I've kept them for long: they may be subliminally reminding me of today's meditation, the transient beauty alive in no matter how long or short a time. They have had their moment in the sun.
Your image of the incense sticks also brought back the votive candles we light in an Orthodox church. One never knows why some burn themselves out into the sand while others go out soon after they are lit. It's just how it is. I try to remember that the past exists as memory in the mind (but was present when it was experienced) and the future is a projection that will also be experienced as the present, it makes sense that whatever one 'loses' by dying is really the ever-unfolding present. Thank you for today's meditation, Kathryn.
Good morning...this is making me think about different times, different circumstances. Imagine a battlefield - the sort of historic battle such as WW1. The men going 'over the top'. Some, as battle fodder will die. Does that not matter to each and every one? Yes, it is true that at some time these young men were going to die. Some managed to get out of this ghastly scenario. The father of my ex mother in law was one, shot in the neck in the Battle of the Somme. There is a story about how he was repatricated to the UK and nursed back to health. (He later married the nurse). It is said that the young men dying as they went over the top called for their mothers. Imagine the cacophony.
But if he hadn't managed to be repatriated back to England, and nursed back to health, a whole line of successors would never have come to be born. Yes, he died in the end, but whether sooner or later does make a difference. For those young men life and their deaths was something they could not control. There was limited illusion of 'choice'. To be given the white feather of a conscientious objector was to be contemptible, to be shamed. So we can do more than accept that one day we will die, which is true, but it's how we choose to spend the days in between.
I don't know if Boethius was a Stoic, but today's' post and meditation reminded me of his: 'Eternity is when the present doesn't lack anything.' (my translation from Spanish so that may be wrong!) Really enjoying the series KK, thank you for this ❤️
Oh, thank you for bringing in Boethius! I love this. I think I have felt this as I get better with being in the present, especially on walks with Henri. Time becomes complete in a way - or, yes - infinite. There truly is nothing lacking in that moment of presence. Jayne, I'm so pleased you've joined in and that you are enjoying this! 💙
Thank you, KK! Being with animals is such a tonic, you are right, they are so in the moment. They aren't, like us, a ‘death-obsessed animal’ - think that was John Grey's description of us lot 🙂
Good morning KK,
today’s meditation has led me to reflect on decomposition in my garden - remnants of my once vibrant Daffodils planted last winter. They bloomed heroically this spring, but now they’re gone. Dead. They won’t return until next spring...if it’s meant to be. It struck me how fleeting life is, just like those first blossoms.
But now, in their place, my first Marigold and some wildflowers are blooming...bringing life and beauty. I know they too will die down, and others will follow...it’s the cycle of life.
This thought brought me to love… life… joy - the meaning of life, and the importance of self-preservation. Knowing where and when to set boundaries means understanding where I end and the other begins, protecting my humanity while honoring others.
In a world fixated on the external -stress, burnout, division, and competition - we need more inward-growing love… starting with ourselves. After all, we all have a deadline… like Harry Styles sings, “Just stop your crying, it’s a sign of the times.” There is no escaping from this cycling… only acceptance. Sooner or later, death gets us all... it makes really no difference.
Thank you. :-)
Enjoy your day! DDx
Good morning, DD! Yes, love where you end your meditation today: "There is no escaping from this cycling… only acceptance. Sooner or later, death gets us all... it makes really no difference." Yes. 💙
😊
Overtaken by life this morning, but determined not to miss a day, I come to the meditation in the evening - better than not at all!
A bunch of purple tulips brought by a friend three weeks ago still stands on my kitchen windowsill. The flowers are withered, some petals have fallen and the talks are mostly dried out and bent. I wonder why I've kept them for long: they may be subliminally reminding me of today's meditation, the transient beauty alive in no matter how long or short a time. They have had their moment in the sun.
Your image of the incense sticks also brought back the votive candles we light in an Orthodox church. One never knows why some burn themselves out into the sand while others go out soon after they are lit. It's just how it is. I try to remember that the past exists as memory in the mind (but was present when it was experienced) and the future is a projection that will also be experienced as the present, it makes sense that whatever one 'loses' by dying is really the ever-unfolding present. Thank you for today's meditation, Kathryn.